When and Why to use The Safety Squat Bar
Why Safety Squat Bar (SSB)?
The SSB is a cambered barbell, which means unlike a straight barbell the weight ends up slightly (or not so slightly, depending how far forward someone hinges) in front of the athlete when they are at the bottom of the squat. This is much more intense on the core as they have to prevent the bar from folding them in half a lot more than a straight bar where the weight remains in the middle of the foot, (provided the bar path is in a straight line and over the middle of the foot). Furthermore the handles, allow you to choose how much you want to hinge or not,eaning you can choose whether you want to train more predominantly quads or hamstrings/lower back.
Also, because there is such little shoulder mobility needed, if any, it is nearly impossible to not be able to position the bar properly on the shoulders within the first session using the SSB. This is very unlike the low bar squat, where it could take someone up to a month or two just to get their shoulder mobility in a place to be able to comfortably squat without feeling any pain, making the SSBideal for someone new to strength training or with poor mobility.
Cons of the SSB
Although the pros far outweighthe cons for someone who is new to lifting weights or new to barbell squats, there is one fairly major limitation for more advanced lifters:intensity.
Because of the physical struggle to get the bar back up once the weights have ended up in front of it, the amount of weight you can lift with the SSB is reduced by about 10-15%.
A SSB and Low Bar Hack
If you can do the low bar squat and your primary goal is to increase the weight on the bar to increase force - which it most likely is, I would recommend during your General Physical Preparedness (GPP) phase, train with the SSB for a 2 - 3 week block, then swap to a low bar squat. This is because the SSB will have increased your core strength and should allow you to now lift more weight with the low bar squat, because the low bar squat is less physically demanding, you’ll be able to overload the bar with more weight than the SSB, being able to overload your whole body overall with our king/queen lift… the low bar squat.
Summary
Can be used pretty much straight away for athletes with poor shoulder mobility
Maximise core work with the SSB
Use in off season/GPP phase as a tool to increase straight bar squat
Can easily adjust the angle to use either hamstrings or quads depending on focus
